Manila-After holding the first Presidential debate in Mindanao, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) will take the second Presidential Debate on March 20, 2016 to the Queen City of the South-Cebu-with assurances of longer time for candidate exchanges.
"The voting public can definitely look forward to an improved Presidential Debate. Of course, GMA-7 and Inquirer did well but we took note of the areas for improvement during the first Presidential Debate and made conscious efforts to address them in the second Presidential Debate," shares COMELEC Chairman Andres Bautista.
The next COMELEC-sponsored Presidential debate will be hosted by TV 5 and The Philippine Star? and will air live from University of the Philippines-Cebu (UP-Cebu). The debate will feature a modified panel format.
"There will be two parts-the first segment will involve a panel of journalists who will be throwing questions at the candidates, while the second part will give candidates the opportunity to ask each other questions. The primary rule is that all questions will fall under the agreed themes for this debate, which include among others, corruption and ?climate change adaptation" adds Chairman Bautista.
Further, to accommodate more questions and allow candidates to substantively present their positions on issues, the second Presidential debate will run for three hours. Candidates will likewise be allowed to wear campaign or casual clothes so they can be more at ease on stage. And just like the first debate, candidates will be allowed to bring supporters in Cebu, while UP students can watch from big screens set-up in the university open field.
"I think a three hour-program run is indeed an improvement and we have made adjustments in the allocated time for responses and rebuttals in consultation with the representatives of the campaign teams," continues Bautista.
The COMELEC Chairman encouraged voters to watch the debate on Sunday as he emphasized that debates were important venues to get to know the candidates and their platforms of governance.
"If anything, the first Presidential debate showed us the surface profiles of candidates, what issues rattled them, what triggered or excited them, etc. The second Presidential debate should reveal to us other important aspects of their candidacies," ends Bautista.
Voters can watch the second COMELEC-led Presidential debate on TV 5 or via livestreaming on http://www.bilangpilipino.com/ from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM this Sunday, March 20, 2016, while the last two debates are scheduled for next month-third Presidential debate on April 24, 2016 and a Vice-Presidential debate on April 10, 2016.#
Source: Education and Information Department